From the inaugural issue of R/evolutions, far away from solid modernity: An interview with Zygmunt Bauman; exercising freedom: An interview with Judith Butler; join together, demand change and risk: An interview with Guy Standing; and Toby Miller on the children of Reagan’s hippies. From the Center for the Study of the Drone, Dan Gettinger interviews Code Pink’s Medea Benjamin, author of Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control. Nuke the cat: Damon Lindelof, blockbuster wizard par excellence, explains the inexorable logic of the ever-metastasizing apocalyptic flick. Meet Kim Dvorak, the journalist spreading Michael Hastings conspiracy theories. Gary Day reviewsThe Problem with Pleasure: Modernism and its Discontents by Laura Frost. Can progressives do big things? Ethan Rome on how Obamacare is the test. Rob Goodman on the comforts of the Apocalypse: Our hunger for crisis is breeding dystopian narcissism. Confessions of an editor: Carlos Lozada reviewsHow to Write Short by Roy Peter Clark. Who will fight the beauty bias? It’s deep, unconscious, and surprisingly universal and means beautiful people get a much better deal — but righting injustice isn’t easy when no one wants to call themselves plain. Secrets: Heather Smith on Chelsea Manning and the prices of disclosure. Did a hedge fund billionaire just call for mass civil disobedience over climate change? In order to have underdogs, you need to have regular dogs; extroverts, get out there and run. Fetal pain is a lie: Katie McDonough on how phony science took over the abortion debate.

The West Indies cricket team has achieved world-class status — could a united Caribbean Olympic team ever be a possibility? Ian McDonald argues the case. A look at how East German ice skater Katarina Witt went from celebrity to persona non grata almost overnight (and more). Who was the greatest athlete of all time? Shaun White's versatility, Bo Jackson's phenomenal speed, Geronimo's nimbleness, and more. Dan Shaughnessy on why Vin Scully is simply the best broadcaster of all time. The surveillance state comes to the ballpark: A film critic ponders baseball's instant-replay cameras. Spending billions of dollars for TV rights and becoming partners with universities desperate for exposure, ESPN has emerged as a sport’s puppet-master and kingmaker (and more and more). Derek Thompson on the global dominance of ESPN: Why hasn’t anybody figured out how to beat "The Worldwide Leader in Sports"? (and more) Following the decision to pull out of a partnership with PBS' Frontline on a film about concussions in the NFL, ESPN execs are fielding questions about Disney's role in the split (and more by David Zirin). Don’t let the hype fool you: the best place to watch the U.S. Open and many other sports these days is from your couch. To help the environment, watch sports at your neighborhood bar. Ode on a Sports Bar: No one really talks about loving sports bars — very few of us actually do, and yet they're where we go, and something like home.